What is the difference between supportive and therapeutic counseling services?
Supportive counseling services are designed to provide guidance and information to help a client orient and navigate through a particular challenge. This form of counseling does not address the reasons/causes for any reactions, thoughts, or feelings associated with a stressful situation. Therapeutic services, on the other hand, address underlying reasons, causes for acting/feeling a certain way, and how present mood and thoughts are influenced by past experiences. Therapeutic services often lead to uncovering insight into your behavior and increasing self-understanding.
What is the benefit of receiving holistic counseling?
Holistic counseling works with the human system, which addresses the mind-body-spirit connection. This includes our emotions, bodily sensations, thoughts, and spiritual beliefs, all within the context of social and cultural dynamics. Interventions are designed to work with the whole person at times focusing or emphasizing on one aspect of the system over another. Holistic counseling is a comprehensive way of working with a client and presenting issues.
How are Well-Being and Quality of Life related?
Quality of life or QoL and well-being are terms used to measure success, satisfaction, and contentment. Both are associated with experiencing a feeling of being fulfilled. There are several ways of determining your level of well-being and QoL. Common models used to assess well-being often place significant emphasis on physical aspect. However, more recently models are incorporating emotional and mental aspects. Generally, the word health is connected to well-being as in ‘health and well-being’. Models used to define QoL often are associated with the subjective psychological state of being happy. QoL determining factors are often tied to social and economic factors such as those associated with financial wealth and income, access to good healthcare and education, and social and physical living conditions. Fundamentally, both terms are subjective at an individual and cultural level to some degree. At least one recent study combines the two terms into yet another way of assessing satisfaction. This study refers to factors used from both as ‘Life Quality and Well-Being’ or LQW.
What is the difference between well-being and wellness?
Well-being is a state of feeling in balance, at peace in mind and mood, and feeling fully alive. Wellness may be thought of as both a journey and destination. The term wellness may also be viewed as an intent and focus to practice habits and engage life in a manner leading to a sense of wholeness and balance. When the results sought through wellness practices are achieved; i.e., one arrives at their intended destination, wellness and well-being can be thought of as being synonymous.
How does it work? What do I have to do in sessions?
Perhaps the most important thing a client can do in session is to be present to their thoughts, feelings, and experiences; to have a goal or intended outcome; to have an open mind to receive supportive and or therapeutic healing; and, to engage the session whole heartedly and authentically.
What is Psychological Well-being?
Psychological well-being may be viewed as the fulcrum of overall well-being. Fundamentally, one’s perspective and perception determine their subjective sense of well-being. How we assess are lot in life in other terms. Where one may experience an event as a curse and loss, another may experience it as a blessing or opportunity. How we manage our strengthens and limitations in the face of adversity is one measurement of psychological well-being.
How long will it take?
It will take as long as it is necessary to achieve the reason or goal for coming. It all depends on the presenting issue, the services sought, and the willingness and energy to engage. Support may be received and/or resolution to an issue obtained in a few moments. Or, it may take months and months. It is possible to receive benefit through one intervention, or one session. Many presenting problems can be addressed in 4 to 6 sessions.
Is participating in a group helpful?
Absolutely. Sharing and receiving support and feedback from others struggling with similar issues is validating, helps us feel not so alone, empowers us, and gives us insight on how to manage feelings and issues.
I want to get the most out of therapy. What can I do to help?
Be clear on the kind of assistance you are seeking, and be present; i.e., not distracted. Before a session, be prepared by thoroughly filling out forms requesting background information about yourself, the reason you are wanting help, your goals, your strengthens, your limitations, any relationship issues, and your present mood. During a session, share thoughts and feelings, be open and vulnerable to the degree you feel safe, and provide feedback to inquiring questions or comments. After a session, engage suggested ‘homework’ , and reflect on session outcomes through journaling or while practicing meditation.
My partner and/or family members and I are having problems. Should we be in individual counseling or come together?
It really depends on the situation and needs of the client as well as the couple or family. Often it is helpful for each to have separate sessions (one to three), then to come together as a couple or a family for a joint session. There is no ‘right’ or ‘best’ way of providing counseling to a client coming into session as an individual or as part of a couple or family unit.